Lemkowyna Ultra-Trail® 2019

Mudventure of a lifetime in the Wild Wild East / SHORT

Lemkowyna is more than just a race. ŁUT is an unforgettable journey and for some it is the biggest adventure of their lifetime. Last year, the famous French photographer Alexis Berg experienced our trails and felt the spirit of the Western States – and how will your experience be like? You will find the answer to this question on the wild trails of the Low Beskids. The next edition of Lemkowyna Ultra-Trail® will take place in October 2019. The summer registration starts on 30.07.2019, but stay tuned, as places are limited!

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The golden-red beech tree forest, that enthralled Alexis Berg, wolf tracks, which Mike Wardian followed, the magic sunrise and romantic Saturday evening sunset, but most of all, the long, foggy mornings – all those are characteristics of our race, which for six years now attracts each year in October thousands of trail running lovers to the deserted valleys of the Beskid – one of the last places in Europe, where you can still get really close to nature.

The valleys are not abandoned by chance, but depict the aftermath of the tragic history this region faced. The region is called Lemkowszczyzna due to the ethnical group of Lemkos residing among others in the Low Beskid Mountains and Bieszczady Mountains. During WWI, this minority experienced their first repression, although the biggest trauma was caused by Operation Vistula after WWII in 1947-50, where Lemkos were deprived by Communist authorities and being scattered around the world – from Ukraine to Canada and Australia. Some of them returned after several years and made sure that the history of their ancestors would never be forgotten. If you will have a little crisis down on the trail, then just imagine the love story between the two Lemko lovers Pietrek and Lubka, who had to pass three mountain ridges separating their villages in order to meet for a secret rendez-vous. And now imagine, that they did not have any raincoats, comfortable shoes or food supplies. Now it is easier to run, isn´t it?

How on earth is it so bright, so very bright in the middle of the night?! It is the Midsummernight, which in the Low Beskid takes place in… mid-October. You´ll be like fireflies illuminating the night with your headlights on. Get prepared for two nights running through the dark for several or even several dozen hours roaming around the black forest. Although this kind of adventure is reserved only for participants of the 150k and 100k race. Those who prefer running during the daytime can register for the 70k race, the Lemko Marathon (48k) or the Lemko Trail (30k).

Besides being just a nice race, Lemkowyna serves you also with a range of health resorts situated along the main Red Trail. Let‘s begin with Krynica-Zdrój, where you´ll get to know the Pijalnia Główna (Main Drinking Hall), where the race bib collection and the start line of the 150k and 100k distances is located. There is no better way to hydrate before an intense run through the night. One hundred kilometres further away, having passed the Magurski National Park, you´ll reach Iwonicz-Zdrój. This charming little health resort will make you want to stay and it´ll be difficult to keep on running. A little further on, you´ll pass Rymanów-Zdrój and after having a small pit-stop eating the famous soup in Puławy, you´ll cross Przybyszów and then finally reach Komańcza, the most avant-garde SPA at the Osławica river bank, opening only two days during the year. We guarantee you, that the hot tub and sauna from Vingberg will give you the opportunity to relax as good as in Vichy!

You´ve probably heard about the Western States Endurance Run. It is the famous American race, which started off as a horse race but changed, as one day, one of the participants was confronted with a limping horse, so the daredevil decided to walk the whole distance. And that is how a legend was born. Alexis Berg, who visited us last year, stated, that Lemkowyna somehow reminds him of WSER. Of course, not regarding the trail as it is hard to compare California to the Carpathian Mountains, but we do have the unique atmosphere, which he described as „very Western-like”. And it is hard not to agree with him, as the magic Lemko country is a bit like the „Wild East“. Beautiful places and even more beautiful people. We´ll be waiting for you at the Lemkowyna Ultra-Trail®!

Mudventure of your lifetime in the Wild Wild East / LONG

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Wild Wild East

Teddy bears, wolves, lynxes, salamanders and eagles. Those are only a few wildlife representatives of the exceptional Carpathian forest you have to conquer, in order to reach the Lemkowyna finish line in Komancza. Although „conquer“ is not the right expression, because you should not fight with nature in the Carpathian mountains. If you want to take it with force, it will hide its greatest treasures. But if you´ll treat it with respect, it will show all its beauty. And keep in mind: the Low Beskid Mountains are most marvellous in October, when the grass is yellow, beech trees turn red and the tracks are empty like the valleys you are going to pass.

We are eco friendly: on our trails we don´t use plates, cutlery or cups made out of plastic. Also, an IMMEDIATE disqualification applies to all that leave their garbage on the trails!

Natural Born Lemko

If you will have a little crisis down on the trail, then just imagine the love story between the two Lemko lovers Pietrek and Lubka, who had to pass three mountain ridges separating their villages in order to meet for a secret rendez-vous. And now imagine, that they did not have any raincoats, comfortable shoes or food supplies. Now it is easier to run, isn´t it?

While running on the trails, you will cross some pearls of Lemko architecture and find traces of the exceptional Lemko culture. In preparation for the race definitely visit St. Paraskevi Church in Kwiaton, the symbolic door frame in Czarne valley and driving in your car from one point to another don´t forget to turn on the radio station Lem.fm on 106,6, where you can brush up on your Lemko language.

Midsummernight in October

Did you know that Midsummernight in the Low Beskids takes place in the middle of October? Yeah, that´s right, autumn nights down here are long, and you´ll be like fireflies illuminating the night with your headlights on. Get prepared for two nights running through the dark for several or even several dozen hours roaming around the black forest. Although this kind of adventure is reserved only for participants of the 150k and 100k race. Those who prefer running during the daytime can register for the 70k race, the Lemko Marathon (48k) or the Lemko Trail (30k).

With their headlights, our partner for gear – PETZL – illuminates the Lemkowyna Ultra-Trail® for several years now. Thanks fireflies!

Dances with poles

The Low Beskids do not belong to the highest mountain range in Poland. As the name itself reveals, peaks above 1000 meters can be counted on one hand and in fact, on… one finger. And only so, if you count in the Slovakian side of the „Little One“, being the 1002m high Busov. On the Polish side, Lackowa is trying to keep up with him, but Busov keeps being 5m ahead… But the Beskids, even being so low, can make things hot for you. The approximately 6000 m elevation on the long distance probably does not sweep you off your feet, if you are having a look at the race profile before the race. But there is nobody who would not appreciate the Low Beskid Mountains after making it to the finish line (Kozie Zebro and Cergowa summits are the ones which will stay in your mind). At the end, the most important and most distinctive element of LUT is… the mud. You will meet all its varieties down on the trails and it´ll only depend on mother nature, if you´ll pass the finish line all in mud from head to toe or only from your hips downwards. Given the landscape of this area and the weather conditions, one element of the optional equipment is particularly important, namely the poles. They will be your best friends and help you to survive the peculiar Lemko dance with dignity.

One of the Lemkowyna Ultra-Trail® partners is the brand Deadly Sins – the Polish producer of trail poles. Those poles were created in cooperation with the 2018 winner of the ŁUT 70 race, Kamil Leśniak.

Brainfeet

Do you know what trench feet are? Imagine being a soldier, one of the thousands that had died here during the military actions of WWI, spending hours in the cold and muddy trenches in these remote Polish backwoods. Now take off your shoes and take a look at your feet. They will be white, wrinkled and swollen. In reality, you are not a soldier, you are not at war, but your feet will be. Several dozen kilometres in extremely harsh weather conditions give you the worst pedicure ever. There is even an expression used among ultrarunners to describe this particular state of your tired legs – brainfeet. If you don’t want to experience this the hard way, better take care of your feet: use high waterproof socks, rash cream (before and during the race), and last but not least – wear well-tested and comfortable shoes with the ability to easily let the water out to avoid suffering from… brainfeet!

It is the third consecutive year for us with the support of our main partner – Columbia. The American producer of outdoor and running apparel offers everything you might need to dress yourself properly for our race!

SPActacular red trail

Besides being just a nice race, Lemkowyna serves you also with a range of SPAs situated along the main Red Trail. Let‘s begin with Krynica-Zdrój, where you´ll get to know the Pijalnia Główna (Main Drinking Hall), where the race bib collection and the start line of the 150k and 100k distances is located. There is no better way to hydrate before an intense run through the night. One hundred kilometers further away, having passed the Magurski National Park, you´ll reach Iwonicz-Zdrój. This charming little SPA will make you want to stay and it´ll be difficult to keep on running. A little further on, you´ll pass Rymanów-Zdrój and after having a small pit-stop eating the famous soup in Puławy, you´ll cross Przybyszów and then finally reach Komańcza, the most avant-garde SPA at the Osławica river bank, opening only two days during the year. We guarantee you, that the hot tub and sauna from Vingberg will give you the opportunity to relax as good as in Vichy!

Iwonicz-Zdrój is not only an important point on the longer courses of ŁUT, the finish line of 100k distance and the starting point for the Lemko Marathon, it is also the HQ of the winter edition of our race – Lemkowyna Winter Trail.

Small mountains, BIG people

On the longest course (ŁUT 150) you will pass Regetów, Europe´s biggest horse ranch for hucul horses. You should definitely go there after the race, stretch your legs and take a horseback ride and feel like a participant of the Tevis Cup – the horse race from which the Western States derived. For those who prefer four-wheelers, we have a whole stable full of Jeeps, the legendary American off-roaders, which support ŁUT for several years now and never let us down. Such a partner would walk a mile in the rain to help out!

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Besides the summer registration for the race, you can also register as a Lemko-Volunteer. For those who are willing to help, you will find a registration form on our homepage: www.ultralemkowyna.pl/o-nas/wolontariat